^bram  Bois,  M.®. 

jBortti  ^pril  5, 1S10 
?3Dkb,  August  29, 1091 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


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https://archive.org/details/inmemoriammemoirOOpurp 


Jn  ittemanam 


A  MEMOIR 

OF 

ABRAM  DU  BOIS,  M.D. 


SAMUEL  S.^PURPLE,  M.D. 


NEW  YORK 

PRIVATELY  PRINTED 

AUTHOR'S  EDITION 

1893 


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D  8>  1  &  p 


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hiograpJiical  memoir^  in  abst/poct,  was  read 
before  the  New  Yorh  State  Medical  Association  at  its 
ninth  annual  meeting^  held  in  the  city  of  New  YorTc^ 
November  15,  16,  and  17,  1892.  It  has  since  been 
enlarged  and  somewhat  changed  to  conform  to  the 
wishes  of  the  friends  and  author. 


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The  life  labor  of  tbe  true  physician  is  made  up 
of  acts  for  the  betterment  of  hurrfanity.  It  was  the 
physician’s  benevolence  and  self-devotion  to  the  sick 
that  earned  for  him  from  his  Di\dne  Master  the 
designation  of  “  the  beloved  physician.”  In  all  com¬ 
munities  his  death  is  regarded  as  a  public  loss,  and 
particularly  so  is  this  the  case  when,  in  advancing 
years,  his  labors  have  been  supplemented  by  un¬ 
ostentatious  charity.  The  subject  of  this  memorial 
died  in  the  city  of  New  York,  on  August  29,  1891 ; 
and  the  funeral  rites  relating  to  his  death  were 
solemnized  at  his  residence,  16  West  30th  Street, 

'  on  September  2d.  A  large  attendance  of  friends, 

• 

and  distinguished  members  of  the  medical  profes¬ 
sion,  were  present  on  the  occasion.  He  was  an  hon¬ 
ored  member  of  the  medical  profession.  He  was 
cut  down  by  the  grim  messenger  like  a  shock  of 
com  ripe  in  its  season.  It  is  a  wise  custom,  fragrant 
with  sweet  influence,  that  makes  it  a  duty  to  halt 
for  a  brief  period  from  usual  labors  and  pay  a 
tribute  of  praise  to  the  memory  of  departed  friends, 
to  enumerate  their  virtues  and  commemorate  their 


labors.  To  the  personal  friends  of  Dr.  Du  Bois  but 
little  can  be  said  which  will  add  to  the  sum  of  their 
recollections  of  his  generous  impulses  and  many 
virtues ;  but  there  are  those  who  are  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  wise  counsels,  and  the  benefits  of  his 
earnest  and  indefatigable  labors,  who  are  not  famil¬ 
iar  with  the  events  of  his  life. 

On  Dr.  Du  Bois’  paternal  side  he  was  of  French 
Huguenot  descent,  his  first  ancestor  in  America 
being  Jaques  Du  Bois,  father  of  Peter  Du  Bois  who 
was  born  in  Holland  in  1674,  and  came  to  America 
the  same  year  with  his  parents,  and  finally  settled 
near  Wiltwyck,  now  Kingston,  N.  Y.  Peter  Du 
Bois  married  Jannetje  Burhans. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  a  descendant  of 
Jaques  Du  Bois  in  the  fifth  generation,  and  was  the 
fourth  son  of  Coert  Du  Bois  and  Mary  Thorn.  He 
was  born  in  Bed  Hook,  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  on 
the  fifth  day  of  April,  1810.  Shortly  after  his  birth 
his  parents  removed  to  Ehinebeck,  where  he  re¬ 
mained  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old.  He  was  then 
sent  to  a  private  school  kept  by  a  Mr.  Holcomb  at 
Granby,  Conn.,  where  he  was  fitted  for  college.  In 
1827-28  he  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Wash¬ 
ington  (now  Trinity)  College  in  Hartford,  Conn.  He 
was  graduated  in  arts  from  that  institution  in  1830. 
He  then  returned  to  Bhinebeck,  where  he  com- 


8 


menced  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  direction 
of  Drs.  Platt  and  Nelson.  In  1832,  by  the  advice 
of  Dr.  Nelson,  he  came  to  this  city  and  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  John  Kearny  Dodgers  as  a  pupil.  He 
found  in  Dr.  Dodgers  an  able  teacher  and  a  kind 
and  ever  valued  friend.  It  was  to  him,  he  said,  that 
he  was  largely  indebted  for  the  success  he  after¬ 
ward  attained.  He  always  remembered  this  kind¬ 
ness,  as  is  shown  in  his  request  to  his  own  family 
shortly  before  his  death. 

In  1832  he  entered  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  as  a  student,  then  located  in  Barclay  Street, 
and  in  which  his  preceptor  was  demonstrator  of 
anatomy.  He  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  med¬ 
icine  from  that  institution  in  1835.  It  was  during 
the  last  two  years  of  his  pupilage  that  he  discharged 
the  duties  of  an  assistant  to  Dr.  Benjamin  Ogden, 
who  was  then  resident  physician  of  Bellevue  Alms¬ 
house  Hospital.  In  the  July  follo^ving  his  gradua¬ 
tion,  with  the  advice  of  his  friend  and  preceptor,  he 
sailed  from  New  York  for  Paris,  where  he  followed 
with  diligence  and  commendable  assiduity  the  clinics 
of  Louis,  Andral,"and  Chomel,  in  medicine,  and  Vel¬ 
peau,  Lisfranc,  and  Sichel,  in  surgery.  He  returned 
to  New  York  in  the  month  of  December,  1.836 ;  and 
shortly  after,  he  and  his  former  associate.  Dr.  D.  L. 
Eigenbrodt,  received  the  appointment  of  assistant 


9 


resident  physicians  to  Bellevue  Hospital,  which  was 
still  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Ogden.  Soon  after  enter¬ 
ing  upon  their  duties  in  that  hospital,  Dr.  Ogden 
was  appointed  resident  physician  of  Bloomingdale 
Asylum  for  the  insane,  and  while  nominally  retain¬ 
ing  the  position  of  resident  physician,  he  relin¬ 
quished  the  duties  and  compensation  incident  to  the 
office  to  Drs.  Du  Bois  and  Eiorenbrodt.  He  fre- 
quently  said  that  this  appointment  was  of  the  great¬ 
est  value  to  him,  as  it  afforded  him  ample  opportu¬ 
nity  for  testing,  in  daily  practice,  the  views  of  Louis 
and  other  distinguished  teachers  of  Pans. 

During  this  second  residence  in  Bellevue  an  epi¬ 
demic  of  typhoid  fever  prevailed  in  this  city,  and 
the  wards  of  the  hospital  were  filled  with  patients 
suffering  from  this  disease.  The  physicians  of  the 
city,  he  said,  named  it  jail  fever,  ship  fever,  and 
camp  fever,  and  their  treatment  consisted  in  bleed¬ 
ing  and  in  administering  calomel,  James  powder, 
spiritus  mindereris,  etc.  Dr.  Du  Bois  and  his  asso¬ 
ciate,  in  consultation  with  Dr.  John  A.  Swett,  who 
was  their  fellow  student  while  in  Paris,  advised  that 
a  long,  narrow,  two-story  building  on  the  hospital 
grounds,  which  had  been  used  for  small-pox  cases, 
be  converted  into  a  fever  ward.  This  building 
was  thoroughly  fumigated,  cleansed,  and  refur¬ 
nished,  and  all  typhoid  cases  were  transferred  at 


10 


once  to  it.  The  treatment  in  vogue  was  changed  to 
^  the  following :  Cold  sponging,  cooling  effervescent 
drinks,  plenty  of  fresh  air  until  the  fever  had  sub¬ 
sided,  and  then  small  doses  of  quinine,  with  more 
nourishing  food  and  stimulants.  Under  this  treat¬ 
ment  the  mortality  greatly  diminished,  and  it  con¬ 
tinued  to  do  so  until  the  epidemic  ceased.  As  an 
evidence  of  the  virulence  of  the  epidemic,  it  may 
be  said  that  Dr.  Du  Bois  and  Dr.  Swett  were  both 
attacked  mth  the  disease,  and  after  a  lingering  con¬ 
valescence  recovered.  He  often  remarked  that  the 
experience  he  acquired  in  the  treatment  of  diseases 
during  his  residence  in  this  hospital  was  of  the 
greatest  service  to  him  in  after  years  of  practice. 
On  retiring  from  the  management  of  the  hospital, 
the  commissioners  of  the  Almshouse,  in  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  faithful  service,  presented  Drs.  Du  Bois  and 
Eigenbrodt  each  with  a  valuable  case  of  surgical 
instruments,  accompanied  by  appropriate  resolutions. 

Dr.  Du  Bois,  owing  to  his  close  relations  and 
intimate  friendship  with  Dr.  Bodgers,  became 
strongly  interested  in  ophthalmic  medicine  and 
surgery,  and  while  in  Paris  listened  attentively  to 
the  lectui^es  and  clinics  of  Jules  Sichel,  the  most 
eminent  practitioner  and  teacher  of  ophthalmic 
medicine  of  that  day.  In  his  preceptor’s  most  im¬ 
portant  operations  upon  the  eye  he  was  his  assistant. 


11 


and  these  relations  led  to  his  appointment  in  1848 
as  surgeon  of  the  New  York  Eye  Infirmary,  then 
under  the  direction  of  Drs.  Delafield,  Rodgers,  and 
Wilkes,  and  located  at  47  Howard  §treet.  New 
York.  It  was  here  that  the  writer  made  his  ac- 
quaintance,  in  1844,  while  attending  the  clinic  of 
the  Infirmary.  It  was  his  privilege  as  well  as 
pleasure,  to  listen  there  to  Du  Bois’  teachings  and 
to  observe  the  results  of  his  skillful  treatment.  As 
surgeon,  secretary,  trustee,  and  vice-president,  he 
served  this  institution  faithfully  for  forty-eight 
years,  or  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  ever  felt 
a  warm  and  enduring  interest  in  this  worthy  and 
noble  charity,  as  evidenced  by  his  large  contribu¬ 
tions  toward  its  support  and  development,  which 
interest  has  been  most  generously  continued  by  the 
surviving  members  of  his  family.  (See  p.  28.) 

In  the  churchyard  of  the  First  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  of  Fishkill  Village  lie  buried  the  remains  of 
many  of  the  early  ancestors  of  Dr.  Du  Bois.  Here 
Peter  Du  Bois  the  immigrant,  the  son  of  Jaques  Du 
Bois,  rests.  Here  also  was  buried  Christian  Du 
Bois,  Jr.,  his  grandfather.  The  churchyard  of  the 
hamlet  in  which  his  ancestors  sleep  was  to  him  ever 
a  matter  of  interest,  and  led  him,  no  doubt,  to 
desire  its  preservation  and  improvement.  His  gifts 
for  this  purpose  were  of  an  important  and  lasting 


12 


fJH'  .  9 


kind.  The  beautiful  mortuary  chapel  of  the  Fish- 
kill  Kural  Cemetery — in  which  cemetery  lie  buried 
his  remains — was  a  gift  which  called  forth  expres¬ 
sions  of  grateful  respect  from  the  Board  of  Trustees. 
(See  p.  30.) 

Dr.  Du  Bois  held  numerous  offices  of  honor  and 
trust  in  the  profession  of  medicine  and  in  society. 
He  was  consulting  surgeon  to  the  New  York 
Institution  for  the  Blind ;  consulting  surgeon  to 
the  Northern  Dispensary ;  consulting  physician  to 
the  Home  for  Incurables ;  honorary  fellow  and  ben¬ 
efactor  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Medicine ; 
honorary  member  of  the  New  York  Medical  and 
Surgical  Society ;  founder  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Association;  founder  of  the  New  York 
County  Medical  Association;  member  of  the  Saint 
Nicholas  Society;  life  member  of  the  New  York 
Historical  Society;  benefactor  of  the  New  York 
Society  for  the  Relief  of  Widows  and  Orphans  of 

Medical  Men :  honorary  member  of  the  New  York 

'  */ 

Physicians’  Mutual  Aid  Association ;  honorary 
member  of  the  American  Ophthalmological  Society  ; 
life  member  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society ; 
and  life  member  of  the  Huguenot  Society  of  Amer¬ 
ica.  In  the  formation  of  the  library  of  this  last- 
named  society  he  contributed  liberal  and  important 

aid,  both  in  books  and  manuscripts. 

13 


AVe  have  said  that  Abram  Du  Bois  became  a  pupil 
of  Dr.  John  Kearny  Rodgers.  It  is  well  to  say  here 
a  few  words  of  this  honorable  member  of  the  pro¬ 
fession.  He  was  one  of  the  most  accomplished  sur¬ 
geons  and  skillful  physicians  who  have  graced  the 
profession  of  this  city.  He  was  the  grandson  of 
that  eloquent,  popular,  and  devout  clergyman  of  this 
city,  the  Rev.  John  Rodgers,  D.D.  His  father  was 
Dr.  John  R.  B.  Rodgers,  a  graduate  in  medicine 
of  the  University  of  Edinburgh  in  1785,  a  distin¬ 
guished  patriot  and  surgeon  of  the  American  Revo¬ 
lution,  and  professor  of  obstetrics  in  the  first  medi¬ 
cal  school  established  by  Columbia  College.  A  son 
of  this  worthy  sire  was  John  Kearny  Rodgers,  who 
early  became  a  favorite  pupil  of  that  skillful  and 
renowned  surgeon.  Dr.  Wright  Post,  the  professor 
of  anatomy  in,  and  president  of,  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New  York.  He  was 
graduated  in  arts  at  Princeton  College,  N.  J.,  in 
1811,  and  in  medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  New  York  in  1816;  he  was  also 
demonstrator  of  anatomy  for  his  preceptor,  house 
surgeon  of  the  New  York  Hospital,  and  for  many 
years  surgeon  of  the  same.  He  visited  London  in 
1817,  and  became  a  pupil  at  the  London  Eye  In¬ 
firmary,  then  lately  founded  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Saunders. 
It  was  here  that  he  and  the  late  Dr.  Edward 


14 


Delafield  imbibed  and  formulated  those  ideas  that 
led  to  the  final  establishment  of  the  New  York  Eye 
Infirmary  in  1820,  of  which  he  was  the  leading  sur¬ 
geon  for  more  than  thirty  years.  As  an  operator 
he  was  distinguished  for  ease,  dexterity,  and  skill ; 
and  his  operation  of  ligation  of  the  left  subclavian 
artery  within  the  scalenus  muscle,  for  aneurism,  in 
October,  1845,  was  one  of  the  surgical  sensations 
of  the  day,  and  brought  honor  to  him  from  the 
surgical  world  ;  it  was  the  crowning  glory  of  his 
surgical  career.  He  was  in  an  eminent  des^ree 
truthful  in  all  his  habits,  a  man  of  sterling  integ¬ 
rity,  and  a  bold  and  earnest  advocate  of  conserva¬ 
tive  surgery,  believing  most  firmly  in  the  truth  of 
John  Hunter’s  remark,  that  “  when  the  surgeon 
takes  up  the  knife  he  lays  down  his  science.”  He 
abhorred  quackery  in  all  its  forms,  both  in  and 
out  of  the  profession ;  hence  w^e  find  him  an  early 
advocate,  in  1846,  of  the  formation  of  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Medicine,  which  was  instituted 
in  1847  by  ^^men  good  and  true,”  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  reorganizing  the  medical  profession  and 
purifying  it  from  quackery  in  its  various  forms. 
His  name  leads  its  list  of  charter  members,  as  men¬ 
tioned  in  that  instrument,  granted  by  the  legisla¬ 
ture  of  New  York  in  1851.  If  alive,  there  would 
be  no  doubt  where  he  would  stand  to-day ;  his  posi- 


15 


tion  would  be  tbat  advocated  so  firmly  and  adhered 
to  so  nobly  by  his  worthy  pupil,  Abram  Du  Bois. 

Dr.  Du  Bois  possessed  a  generous  and  active  phi¬ 
lanthropy,  and  in  the  quiet,  unostentatious  discharge 
of  benevolence  he  ^vas  emphatically  one  whose  left 
hand  knew  not  what  the  right  hand  doeth.  He  was 
ever  watchful  of  the  needs  of  the  profession,  ever 
ready  to  extend  a  generous  aid  toward  supplying 
means  that  would  advance  the  good  of  the  profes¬ 
sion.  When,  in  1876,  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Medicine  had,  after  years  of  zealous  labor,  pur¬ 
chased  a  building  and  furnished  the  requisites  for  a 
medical  home  pledged  for  the  improvement  and  use 
of  the  profession ;  and  when  the  rapid  gro\vth  of 
the  institution  caused  thereby  had  extended  beyond 
the  funds  and  means  at  its  command.  Dr.  Du  Bois, 
seeing  the  wants  of  the  institution,  although  not  a 
member  of  the  academy,  volunteered  gifts  which,  in 
the  aggregate,  amounted  to  nearly  fifteen  thousand 
dollars,  and  which  led  to  improvements  in  the  build¬ 
ing  and  library  that  greatly  increased  the  usefulness 
of  the  institution.  But  these  generous  gifts  served 
as  incentives  for  intended  further  benefactions,  and 
at  the  time  of  the  secession  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Society,  in  1882,  he  had  nearly  completed 
plans  for  erecting  a  fire-proof  building  for  the  Acad¬ 
emy,  at  his  own  expense ;  aild  to-day,  but  for  that 


16 


disastrous  movemeut,  the  institution  would  have 
been  the  better  by  at  least  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars. 

It  becomes  our  duty  to  speak  of  Dr.  Du  Bois’ 
zeal  and  labor  in  helping  to  found  the  New  York 
State  Medical  Association,  an  institution  in  which 
he  ever  felt  a  deep  and  abiding  interest.  When,  in 
the  month  of  February,  1882,  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Society,  fifty -two 
members,  more  zealous  than  wise,  severed  abruptly 
the  relations  of  the  greater  part  of  the  organized 
profession  of  the  State  of  New  York  from  affiliation 
with  their  brethren  of  the  United  States  ;  and 
when,  in  February,  1883,  ninety -five  afiSrmative 
votes  could  not  restore  the  desired  affiliation,  a  great 
disaster  which  brought  disrepute  upon  the  good 
name  of  the  profession  of  the  State  was  confirmed, 
and  Dr.  Du  Bois,  in  keeping  with  his  life  convic¬ 
tions  on  the  subject  of  the  relations  of  specialism  to 
the  general  practice  of  medicine,  became  a  member 
of  the  Central  Council  which  was  formed  in  this 
city,  and  which  formulated  the  plan  that  led  to  the 
final  organization,  in  1884,  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Association.  His  wise  counsel  and  his 
active  labors  did  much  to  facilitate  and  hasten  the 
desired  success  which  has  followed.  He  ever 
watched  with  an  earnest  and  appreciative  interest 


17 


the  scientific  work  of  the  Association,  and  so  long  as 
his  health  permitted  was  present  at  its  annual  meet¬ 
ings.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  1891,  the  Associa¬ 
tion  passed  resolutions  of  respect  to  his  memory. 
(See  p.  32.) 

Dr.  Du  Bois,  we  have  intimated,  was  a  man  of 
strong  convictions,  and,  in  the  discharge  of  what  he 
believed  to  be  duty,  his  courage  never  failed.  He 
was  of  a  generous  and  noble  nature,  ever  ready  to 
defend  the  right  with  his  whole  soul,  and  to  extend 
unseen  aid  to  the  needy  and  unfortunate  of  the  pro¬ 
fession.  His  benefactions  to  various  objects  of  pub¬ 
lic  and  private  charity  and  to  medical  organizations 
were,  during  the  last  eighteen  years  of  his  life  (and 
no  confidence  of  the  living  is  violated  by  declaring 
it),  more  than  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  his  convictions  on  the 
relations  of  specialism  to  the  general  practice  of 
medicine.  Like  the  distinguished  English  physi¬ 
cian,  Dr.  Thomas  Addison,  he  dreaded  becoming  a 
specialist,  for  it  savored  of  quackery.  He  looked 
upon  the  introduction  of  specialism,  as  his  keen 
foresight  comprehended  its  antagonistic  propensi¬ 
ties  to  manly  relations  between  the  family  physician 
and  his  patient,  as  detrimental  to  a  community  of 
interests,  and  as  most  likely  to  be  subversive  of  the 
best  interests  of  harmony  in  the  profession.  What 


18 


has  the  development  of  its  workings  in  modern 
times  proved  ?  The  answer  comes  in  from  over  the 
length  and  breadth  of  our  land — “  the  loss  of  confi¬ 
dence  of  the  community  in  medical  honor,  and  a 
gradual  and  steady  diminution  of  courtesy  in  pro¬ 
fessional  relations.”  These  results  he  predicted 
with  unerring  certainty,  and  with  an  earnest  and 
commendable  zeal  he  labored  with  his  associates, 
until  prostrated  by  his  fatal  sickness,  to  diminish  if 
not  prevent  their  disastrous  elfects. 

On  the  eighth  of  November,  1838,  he  married 
Catharine  Maria  Brinckerhoff,  of  Fishkill,  N.  Y. 
She  proved  a  most  worthy  and  loving  companion,  a 
beloved  mfe  and  a  devoted  mother.  They  had 
issue,  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  who  survive,  with 
their  affectionate  mother,  to  mourn  his  death. 

Du  Bois  Pedigree. 

1  Christian  (Chretien  in  French)  Du  Bois,  of 
Wicres,  in  the  Department  of  Artois,  in  Flan¬ 
ders,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  father  of 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  sons  were 
(2)  Jacques  Du  Bois,  b.  in  1625,  and  Louis 
Du  Bois,  b.  1626.  There  is  some  confusion 
relating  to  the  baptisms  of  these  children, 
owing  to  mutilation  of  the  registers  of  the 
church  at  Wicres.  Both  emigrated  to  Amer- 


19 


ica  and  settled  near  Esopus,  now  Kingston, 

K.  Y. 

2  Jacques  Du  Bois  (name  in  Dutch,  Jacobus),  b.  in 
Leyden,  27  Oct.,  1625  ;  m.  in  Leyden,  1663, 
Pieronne  Bentyn,  and  had  issue,  all  baptized 
in  the  Protestant  Walloon  Church  in  Leyden  ; 
(4)  Jacques,  bap.  March,  1665  ;  (5)  John,  bap. 
J uly,  1671 ;  (6)  Plekee  or  Peter,  b.  17  March, 
1674.  He  settled  near  Esopus,  now  Kingston, 
N.  Y.,  in  1676. 

6  Peter  Du  Bois,  b.  in  Leyden,  17  March,  1674. 
Came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1676, 
who  settled  in  Esopus,  now  Kingston,  N.  Y. ; 
m.  12  Oct.,  1697,  Jannetje  Burhans,  dau.  of 
Jan  Burhans  and  Helena  Traphagen  of  Bra- 
brant.  He  settled  near  Fishkill,  N.  Y.,  in 
1707.  He  was  one  of  the  elders  and  a  lead¬ 
ing  member  in  the  Dutch  Church  in  Fishkill, 
and  d.  there  22  Jan.,  1737-8.  Will  dated 
26  (?)  March,  1735.  He  had  issue:  (7)  Petron- 
ella,  bap.  in  Dutch  Church,  Kingston,  16  June, 
1698.  (8)  Johannes,  bap.  15  Oct.,  1699.  (9) 

Jacob,  bap.  26  May,  1701 ;  m.  1,  Eachel  Schut ; 
2,  An  tie  Van  Brummel.  (10)  Christiaan 
(Chretien  in  French),  bap.  15  Nov.,  1702; 
m.  Neeltje  Van  Vliet.  (11)  Jonathan,  bap. 
3  Sept.,  1704;  m.  Arreaantje  Osterhout.  (12) 


20 


Petrus,  bap.  16  June,  1707 ;  m.  Jannetje  Ter- 
bos.  (13)  Hellena,  bap.  20  Sept.,  1709;  d. 
young.  (14)  Abraham,  bap.  7  April,  1711. 
(15)  Hellena,  bap.  3  May,  1713.  (16)  Johan¬ 

nes,  bap.  8  May,  1715.  (17)  Elizabeth,  bap. 
23  Oct.,  1718.  (18)  Pieternella,  bap.  22  Jan., 
1722. 

10  Cheistiaan  Du  Bois,  bap.  in  Dutch  Church,  King¬ 
ston,  N.  Y.,  15  Nov.,  1702;  m.  Neeltje  Van 
Vliet.  Of  his  subsequent  history  until  1739 
we  have  little  or  no  account.  In  this  year 
he  purchased  from  his  relations,  heirs  of  his 
father  Peter’s  estate,  the  Old  Homestead  ”  on 
the  west  side  of  Sprout  Creek,  near  Fishkill, 
N.  Y.  The  deed  from  which  this  fact  is  ob¬ 
tained  was,  in  1875,  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Henry  Du  Bois  Bailey.  The  census  of  Dutch¬ 
ess  County,  1740,  contains,  among  others,  his 
name.  He  d.  in  1786,  leaving  issue:  (19) 
Jannetje,  bap.  in  D.  C.,  Fishkill,  25  June,  1736. 
(20)  Elizabeth,  bap.  in  D.  C.,  Fishkill,  19 
Sept.,  1742  ;  and  an  only  son  (21)  Christlan, 
b.  13  June,  1746  ;  m.  Magdalena  Van  Voor- 
hees.  He  d.  17  Dec.,  1807.  She  d.  4  March, 
1826. 

(21)  Christian  Du  Bois,  Jr.,  b.  13  June,  1746  ; 
inherited  the  “  Old  Homestead  ”  on  the  west 


21 


side  of  Sprout  Creek,  near  Fishkill,  N.  Y.  He 
was  a  leading  man  in  the  community,  and  a 
prominent  member  of  the  building  committee 
of  the  D.  C.  of  Fishkill,  built  in  1792.  On  the 
17  Noy.,  1768,  he  mamed  Magdalena  Van 
Voorhees  (the  Fishkill  D.  C.  baptismal  records 
call  her  Helena  Van  Voorhees),  b.  13  April, 
1744,  dau.  of  Koert  (Coeii:)  Van  Voorhees  and 
Catharine  Filken  of  Fishkill.  She  d.  4  Mai’ch, 
1826,  and  he  d.  17  Dec.,  1807,  leaving  issue  : 
(22)  Gen’et,  b.  23  Sept.,  1769;  m.  Hannah 
Cooper.  (23)  Catharine,  b.  8  May,  1771  ;  m. 
Jacob  Grilfen.  (24)  Koeet  (Coeet),  b.  6 
March,  1774;  m.  4  Jan.,  1801,  Mary  Thom, 
dau.  of  Stephen  Thorn  and  Elizabeth  Hicks, 
b.  3  Oct.,  1778.  (25)  Abraham,  b.  21  Jan., 

1776;  d.  12  May,  1835,  unmarried.  (26) 
Henry,  b.  7  Dec.,  1777 ;  d.  10  Feb.,  1867, 
unmarried.  (27)  Elizabeth,  b.  7  Jan.,  1780; 
m.  John  Bailey.  (28)  Cornelius,  b.  22  Dec., 
1781 ;  d.  young.  (29)  John,  b.  12  May,  1784  ; 
m.  23  June,  1811,  Gertrude  Brodhead.  He 
d.  8  Jan.,  1828. 

24  Coeet  (Koeet)  Du  Bois,  b.  6  March,  1774;  m. 
4  Jan.,  1801,  Mary  Thom,  b.  3  Oct,  1778, 
dau.  of  Stephen  Thorn  and  Elizabeth  Hicks. 
She  d.  28  Aug.,  1846,  in  Hudson,  N.  Y.  He 


22 


d.  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  16  May,  1854.  At  an 
early  age  he  commenced  mercantile  life  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  subsequently  became  a 
successful  and  wealthy  merchant  in  Fishkill 
and  Khinebeck,  N.  Y.  About  1835  he  pur- 
.  chased  the  “  Old  Homestead  ”  (Du  Bois)  in 
which  he  was  born.  He  held  offices  of  trust 
in  both  Church  and  State.  He  had  issue  :  (30) 
Henry  A.,  b.  4  Dec.,  1801  ;  m.  Eveline  Van 
Dusen.  He  d.  23  April,  1879.  (31)  Stephen 

A.,  b.  21  Jan.,  1804 ;  m.  Bachel  Schriver. 
He  d.  31  Dec.,  1869.  (32)  William,  b.  18 
Dec.,  1807  ;  d.  16  Feb.,  1826,  unmarried.  (33) 
Abram,  b.  5  April,  1810 ;  m.  Catharine  M. 
Brinckerhoff.  He  d.  29  Aug.,  1891.  (34) 

Samuel  T.,  b.  29  May,  1813  ;  d.  5  Sept.,  1816. 
(35)  Mary,  b.  27  July,  1815  ;  m.  Casper  P. 
Collier.  She  d.  4  Nov.,  1885.  (36)  Samuel 

T.,  b.  29  Nov.,  1817  ;  m.  Celia  B.  Judson. 
(37)  James  T.,  b.  8  April,  1820 ;  m.  Henrietta 
V.  S.  Van  Wyck. 

33  Abram  Du  Bois,  M.  D.,  the  subject  of  this  me¬ 
morial,  b.  5  April,  1810  ;  m.  8  Nov.,  1838, 
Catharine  M.  Brinckerhoff,  dau.  of  Derick  A. 
Brinckerhoff  and  Catharine  Concklyn. 


23 


Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Almshouse  of 
THE  City  of  New  York. 

Copy  of  letter  from  the  Board, 

Office  of  Commissioners  of  Almshouse^ 
Xew  York,  April,  1838. 

Sir  : 

On  presenting  you  the  enclosed  resolutions, 
passed  and  recorded  at  a  meeting  of  the  Commis¬ 
sioners  of  the  Almshouse,  held  on  the  ninth  day  of 
February  last,  we  have  the  further  gratification 
of  conforming  to  them,  in  asking  your  acceptance  of 
a  case  of  surgical  instruments,  which  have  been 
manufactured  by  one  of  the  best  artists,  under  the 
directions  of  our  mutual  friend.  Dr.  Benjamin 
Ogden.  We  do  not  doubt  that  their  use,  in  the 
course  of  your  practice,  will  aid  you  in  accomplish¬ 
ing  those  beneficial  results,  which  exalt  the  science 
you  possess,  and  give  it  the  Samaritan  character. 
Performing  this  duty  in  our  ofiicial  character,  reani¬ 
mates  those  feelings  of  individual  regard  which 
have  been  heightened  by  every  notice  of  your  kind 
services  to  the  unfortunate,  and  bids  us  proffer  the 


25 


continuance  of  that  regard,  and  tender  our  most 
hearty  wishes  for  your  health  and  prosperity. 


P.  W.  Engs, 
Jas.  H.  Braine, 
Z.  Ring, 

Peter  Palmer, 
Seixas  Nathan, 


^  Commissioners. 


Extract  from  Report  of  the  Commissioners  of 

hr 

THE  Almshouse,  Bridewell,  and  Penitentiary. 
Year  1837. 

The  prison  fever  had,  some  time  previous  to 
this,  broken  out  in  the  Bridewell,  among  the  ^  court 
prisoners,’  and  some  cases  had  occurred  in  the 
Almshouse ;  thus  the  list  of  this  class  of  pa¬ 
tients  became  alarmingly  large,  and,  under  the  then 
state  of  the  house,  excited  apprehensions  of  con¬ 
tagion  ;  and  the  public  are  indebted  (under  Provi¬ 
dence)  to  the  superior  skill  and  untiring  exertions 
of  the  resident  physician.  Dr.  Benjamin  Ogden, 
for  the  arrest  of  its  progress,  notwithstanding  the 
influx  of  cases  of  a  similar  disease  from  among 
foreign  emigrants,  subsequently  arriving,  filled  the 
hospital  to  overflowing.  Fortunately,  at  this  junc¬ 
ture,  Drs.  Abram  Du  Bois  and  David  L.  Eigen- 
brodt,  formerly  students  in  the  establishment  under 


26 


Dr.  Ogden,  gentlemen  who  had  in  1834  perilled 
their  lives  in  the  cure  of  cholera,  came  to  our  relief, 
and  by  gratuitous  service,'  for  which  our  city  owes 
them  a  debt  of  gratitude  (more  especially  as  Dr. 
Du  Bois  had  been  himself  a  subject  of  the  prevail¬ 
ing  fever,  and  barely  escaped  death),  gave  impor¬ 
tant  and  indispensable  aid  to  the  resident  physician, 
which  was  seconded,  in  a  manner  deserving  the 
highest  commendation,  by  the  students  Messi's. 
Stamatioides,  Casey,  and  Thompson.” 

Office  of  the 'Co>EvnssioNEES  of  the  Almshouse. 

New  York,  February  9,  1838. 

The  following  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted. 

Hesolved:  That  the  timely,  efficient,  and  ex¬ 
tended  labors  of  Drs.  Abram  Du  Bois  and  David  L. 
Eigenbrodt,  in  the  hospital  at  Bellevue  during  the 
past  year,  claim  the  warmest  acknowledgments  of 
the  Board  on  behalf  of  their  fellow  citizens. 

Resolved:  That  we  cannot  consistently  with  a 
proper  regard  for  such  services  peimit  them  to  go 
unrewarded  by  some  token  of  gratitude. 

Resolved:  That  a  case  of  instruments  be  pro¬ 
cured  and  presented  to  each  of  these  gentlemen  as  a 
demonstration  of  the  esteem  with  which  we  regard 
them  as  men  of  science,  friends  of  humanity,  and 


27 


public  benefactors,  and  tbat  the  same  be  accom¬ 
panied  'vvitb  these  resolutions,  and  a  letter  signed 
by  all  the  members  of  this  Board. 

A  copy  f  rooi  the  Minutes. 

New  Yoek  Eye  and  Eae  Infiemaey, 
Thirteenth  Street  and  Second  Avenue. 

New  York,  November  9,  1891. 

Mes.  Abeam  Du  Bois. 

Dear  Madam :  I  have  been  directed  by  the  Direc¬ 
tors  of  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  to 
transmit  to  you  the  enclosed  preamble  and  resolu¬ 
tions  unanimously  adopted  at  the  annual  meeting 
held  October  28,  1891. 

In  doing  so,  permit  me  to  express  my  very  sincere 
sympathy. 

Respectfully  yours, 

Goeham  Bacon,  M.D.,  Secretary. 

New  Yoek  Eye  and  Eae  Infiemaey. 

New  York,  November  7,  1891. 

The  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois  on  August  29, 
1891,  removes  from  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  In¬ 
firmary  one  of  its  most  devoted  friends.  For  forty- 
eight  years,  of  a  long  life  of  eighty-one  years,  he 
labored  for  its  welfare.  In  1843  he  became  one  of 
its  surgeons;  from  1856  to  1869,  he  also  served  as 


28 


Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  In  1869  he 
became  a  Director;  and  at  this  resigning  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  surgeon,  he  was  made  consulting  surgeon, 
which  position  he  filled  until  his  death;  from  1875 
to  1888  he  acted  as  Second  Vice-President. 

He  was  a  pupil  of  Dr.  J.  Kearny  Bodgers,  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  Institution,  and  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  preceptor  for  ophthalmic  surgery  found  a 
ready  response  in  the  student,  and  led  him  to  add 
to  his  medical  equipment  special  opportunities  for 
ophthalmic  study  in  Great  Britain  and  Paris.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  twenty-six  years  which  he  gave  to  active 
professional  service  in  the  Infirmary,  he  was  not 
only  most  faithful  in  his  work,  but  was  always 
laboring  to  secure  for  the  Institution  the  esteem  and 
support  of  the  public.  Out  of  the  large  acquaint¬ 
ance  in  the  best  circles  of  New  York  life,  he  brought 
many  friends  to  it,  as  for  example  Dr.  Jacob  Har- 
sen.  Dr.  Beadle,  Mr.  Augustus  Schell,  and  many 
others.  His  endeavors  in  this  direction  never 
flagged.  The  Infirmary  was  the  object  of  his 
beneficence  and  solicitude  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
He  was  an  active  promoter  of  its  removal  from  the 
scant  accommodations  in  Mercer  Street  to  the  ample 
site  in  Second  Avenue,  and  in  our  recent  enlarge¬ 
ment  of  the  Institution  he  has  shown  a  deep  inter¬ 
est,  both  by  his  own  liberality  and  by  procuring 


29 


gifts  from  others.  Our  Institution  has  not  had  a 
more  efficient  and  faithful  friend  than  Dr.  Abram 
Du  Bois,  and  his  name  will  be  permanently  identi¬ 
fied  with  it. 

Of  his  wider  professional  relations,  and  of  his  ex¬ 
tensive  influence  as  a  physician  in  the  community,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  speak.  It  is 

Hesolmd,  That  the  Directors  of  the  New  York 
Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  hereby  express  their  warm 
appreciation  of  the  high  personal  and  professional 
qualities  of  their  late  colleague  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois, 
and  their  grateful  recognition  of  his  long  and  de¬ 
voted  service  to  the  Institution.  Much  of  its  repu¬ 
tation  and  success  have  been  due  to  his  efforts : 
they  honor  his  memory  and  regret  his  loss. 

Hesol/ved,  That  this  preamble  and  resolutions  be 
entered  on  the  minutes,  and  a  copy  be  transmitted 
to  the  family  of  Dr.  Du  Bois,  together  with  the 
expression  of  the  sincere  condolence  of  the  Directors 
of  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  with  them 
in  their  bereavement. 

Fishkill  Bural  Cemetery. 

Fishkill,  New  York. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Fishkill 
Rural  Cemetery,  held  October  28,  1891,  the  follow- 


ing  preamble  and  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted : 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  the  Father  of  all  to 
remove  from  this  earthly  sphere  the  warm  friend 
and  liberal  benefactor  of  our  Cemetery,  Dr.  Abram 
Du  Bois :  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  having  enjoyed  his  friendship  and 
appreciated  his  worth,  we  sincerely  mourn  the  loss 
that  his  family,  this  institution,  and  the  public  in 
general  have  been  called  upon  to  sustain. 

Resolved,  That  though  we  shall  greatly  miss  his 
kind  sympathy  and  valuable  suggestions  in  our 
work  of  preserving  and  beautifying  these  grounds, 
we  still  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  the  wise  and 
liberal  provisions  that  he  made  will  never  die,  but 
mil  continue  to  accomplish  their  beneficent  purpose 
when  we  all,  like  him,  shall  have  ceased  from  our 
labors. 

Resolved,  That  we  rejoice  that  a  kind  Pro\ddence 
gave  him  the  ability,  and  also,  what  is  more  rare 
and  desirable,  the  disposition,  to  make  large  and 
liberal  bequests,  not  only  to  the  Institution  that  we 
represent,  but  to  many  others  calculated  to  alleviate 
the  sufferings  of  his  fellow  creatures ;  and  that  his 
benefactions  shall  stand  as  enduring  monuments  to 
his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  in  our  grief  for  our  friend’s  depart- 


31 


ure,  we  have  great  cause  for  tliankfulness  that  his 
valuable  life  was  spared  so  long,  that  in  his  bodily 
weakness  his  mind  was  unimpaired,  and  that  his 
closing  hours  were  calm  and  peaceful. 

Resolved^  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  in 
our  book  of  minutes ;  that  they  be  published  in  the 
papers  of  this  town,  and  that  a  copy  of  them  be 
transmitted  to  the  family  of  our  departed  friend. 

H.  B.  Eosa,  Secretary. 

New  Yoek  State  Medical  Association. 

At  the  morning  session  of  the  eighth  annual 
meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Associa¬ 
tion,  held  in  the  city  of  New  York,  October  29, 
1891,  the  committee  appointed  to  draft  resolutions 
on  the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois  presented 
their  report,  which,  upon  motion,  was  received  and 
adopted. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Resolutions. 

The  committee  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions 
on  the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois  beg  leave  to 
present  the  following : 

Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois  died  in  the  city  of  New 
York  on  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  August,  1891,  aged 
eighty-one  years.  He  was  an  earnest  and  active 


32 


member  of  the  preliminary  council  which  formu- 
lated  and  led  to  the  organization  of  the  New  York 
State  Medical  Association,  and  a  distinguished  and 
honored  member  of  the  medical  profession.  Your 
committee  offer  the  following  resolutions : 

Resolved^  That  the  New  York  State  Medical  As¬ 
sociation,  with  deep  and  sincere  regret,  have  learned 
of  the  death  of  AbrAiM  Du  Bois,  M.D.,  one  of  the 
founders  of  this  Association. 

Resolved^  That  this  Association  duly  appreciates 
and  bears  witness  to  his  many  virtues  and  great 
professional  probity,  and  will  ever  cherish  his  mem¬ 
ory  for  his  generous  charity  both  to  the  public  and 
the  profession  of  medicine. 

Resolved^  That  we  tender  to  the  widow  and 
family  of  the  deceased  our  sincere  sympathy  in  this 
their  great  bereavement. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolutions 
be  sent  to  the  relatives  of  the  deceased ;  and  that 
said  report  and  resolutions  be  entered  upon  the 
minutes  of  this  Association,  and  be  published  in  the 
forthcoming  volume  of  Transactions. 

Samuel  T.  Hubbard,  M.D.,  Chawmem. 

Samuel  S.  Purple,  M.D. 

William  McCallom,  M.D. 


33 


Nokthekn  Dispensary, 

Corner  Waveiiy  Place  and  Christoplier  Street. 

New  York,  November  6,  1891. 

The  Trustees  receive  with  sorrow  the  inteUigence 
of  the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois,  who  died  at 
his  residence  in  this  city,  August  29,  1891,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Dr.  Du  Bois  was  appointed  a  consulting  physi¬ 
cian  to  this  Institution  in  1858;  having  served  in 
that  position  continuously  for  thirty-three  years, 
and  a  subscriber  to  its  suppoi’t  for  over  thirty  years. 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  hereby  expresses  its 
sorrow  for  the  loss  of  one  so  long  connected  with 
the  interests  of  this  Institution,  and  that  this  pre¬ 
amble  and  resolution  be  entered  on  the  minutes  ; 
and  a  copy,  attested  by  the  Secretary,  be  sent  to 
the  family  of  the  late  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois. 

. .  Geo.  Starr,  First  Vice-President. 

:  L.  s.  ; 

.  Charles  E.  Bogert,  Secretary. 

Saint  Nicholas  Society  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

Secretary'' s  Office,  No.  67  Wall  Street. 

At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Saint  Nicholas  Society, 
held  December  3,  1891,  the  following  action  was 
taken : 


34 


Ext/i^act  from  the  Minutes. 

The  committee  appointed  at  the  last  regular 
meeting  of  the  Society  to  prepare  a  memorial  of 
the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois,  through  Mr. 
Edward  King,  chairman  of  the  committee,  ]3i’eseuted 
the  folloMuns:  resolutions,  which  were  unaniniouslv 
adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  spread  upon  the  minutes, 
with  the  further  direction  that  a  copy  thereof  be 
sent  to  the  family  of  Dr.  Du  Bois. 

Resolved,  That  bv  the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du 

'  */ 

Bois,  who  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  has  been 
one  of  its  physicians,  the  Saint  Nicholas  Society 
has  lost  a  most  prominent  friend  and  ad\'iser,  who 
always  took  a  deep  and  active  interest  in  its  atfairs, 
and  endeared  himself  to  all  bv  his  ^-enial  manners 
and  rare  social  qualities. 

He  held  many  positions  of  trust  in  the  medical 
tvorld,  and  was  always  known  as  a  gentleman  of 
high  character,  and  justified  in  every  instance  the 
confidence  bestowed  upon  him. 

His  ability  and  integrity  as  a  man  and  physician 
made  him  an  honor  not  only  to  his  profession  and 
the  community  in  which  he  lived,  but  shed  a  luster 
upon  our  membership. 

[A  true  copy.] 

George  G.  De  Witt,  Seci^etciry. 


35 


Manhati’an  Life  Insurance  Company. 

At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  Manhattan  Life  Insurauce  Company,  held  on  the 
eighth  day  of  September,  the  president  announced 
the  death  of  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois,  a  member  of  the 
Board,  and  for  many  years  the  Medical  Examiner 
of  the  Company,  whereu]3on  it  was  unanimously 

Hesolved^  That  the  members  of  this  Board  have 
learned  with  sincere  soriow  of  the  death  of  their 
late  associate  and  friend  Dr.  Abram  Du  Bois.  Tlie 
connection  of  Dr.  Du  Bois  with  this  Company  was 
from  its  organization,  he  having  been  appointed  to 
the  important  office  of  Kesident  Physician  in  the 
first  month  of  its  existence,  and  continued  as  such 
until  the  month  of  Januaiy,  1889,  when  he  resigned 
the  position.  His  election  as  a  membei-  of  the 
Board  took  place  in  1877,  and  continued  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  Dr.  Du  Bois  was  zealous  and 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office, 
bringing  to  it  a  rare  adaptation,  especially  in  view 
(^f  the  fact  that  at  that  early  day  there  was  nothing 
to  lead  and  guide  in  the  way  of  statistics  and  the 
experience  of  life  insurance  companies,  such  as 
are  now  available,  and  of  such  great  value  to 
the  medical  department.  Dr.  Du  Bois  held  the 
affectionate  regard  of  all  his  associates,  and  they 


36 


deem  it  proper  that  they  should  enter  this  tribute 
to  his  memory  on  their  minutes,  as  a  mark  of  respect 
to  him,  and  a  token  of  sincere  sympathy  to  his 
family. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent 
to  the  family. 

Wm.  C.  Feazee,  Secretary, 
New  York,  September  9,  1891. 

37 


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